1. Field of the Invention
The invention is related to the field of communications and, in particular, to notifying an individual that a text message is received while the individual is on a voice call.
2. Statement of the Problem
Text messaging has become a very popular mode of communication in many mobile networks, such as a Public Land Mobile Network (PLMN). One example of text messaging is Short Message Service (SMS), which is a communication protocol allowing the exchange of short text messages (i.e., 160 characters) between mobile devices. While the term “text message” traditionally referred to text-only messages sent using SMS, it has been extended to include multimedia messages, such as images, video, sound content, etc. The multimedia messages may be sent using Multimedia Service (MMS) protocol. Often times, mobile users more frequently use text messaging for communication than voice calls.
A sender of a new text message enters one or more intended destinations for the message, and also enters the content of the message. The phone (or other sending device) of the sender formats the text message into the proper protocol, and sends the text message to a message center in the network over the appropriate signaling channels. One example of a typical message center is an SMS Center (SMSC). The SMSC then attempts to deliver the SMS message its destination. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that text message delivery includes multiple other network elements than those described above, such as serving network elements, subscriber databases, gateways, etc.
There may be times where the destination of a text message is engaged in an active voice call at the time the text message is delivered. For example, assume that the destination comprises a mobile phone being operated by an end user. In response to receiving the text message, the mobile phone may provide some type of alert to the end user that the text message was received, such as a beep or tone. If the end user wants to view the text message, then he/she may end the voice call and view the text message. The end user may alternatively remove the phone from his/her ear and try to view the text message without accidently ending the voice call. In any event, it is presently inconvenient for the end user to view a text message that is received while a voice call is in progress.